Pathfinder 1E Paizo Annoucement!

[Maggan]

Once the characters start living in a world where the unexpected can hurt them if they are spendthrift with their resources, the players will adjust their play style accordingly.

Yeah, they'll use magic to stay safe. Like "Rope Trick" or stuff like that.

/M

 

[helium3]

At first, 4.0 will be for the ubergamers, who play every weekend. Then after a year or two, they will get bored of this simpler system after they've found every loophole and maxed every min. If WOTC is lucky, they will also attract some "kids" -- new gamers who are trying the offline version of WoW/simpler version of D&D that 4.0 aims to be. The trick is, WOTC will want to add rules bloat ("The Complete Book of Headgear-related Feats", "Return of the Gnome") to keep the ubergamers, but this will intimidate the newbs. Looking at sales figures, WOTC will go with gumming up the works, as they always do, because they are a rules-sales company dominated by ubergamer types.

Wow. I think your post just singlehandedly pushed me into the pro-4E camp. This is not the sort of gamer I am or want to be. A game should be fun and that's it. None of this "my game is more intelligent than your game" bull.

I also expect a lawsuit . . .

Only if WotC is feeling particularly vindictive.

 

[bramadan]

Best of luck to Iquander and co. I don't care at all for 3.5 ruleset, but you guys should buy Greyhawk from WotC

 

[helium3]

Yes, I'm sure they based the livelihood of a dozen people (? or whatever # of employees Pazio has) on a website poll.

Thanks for the snarkasm. I totally couldn't understand that basing a major business decision on the results of a forum poll wasn't a good idea. With your clarification, I now understand.

Someone having a different playstyle than you is hostile now?

Look, just because the favored pro/anti debate technique currently consists of implying that your "opponent" is impugning your play style, doesn't mean you should ALWAYS use it. That'd be like a Fighter always using Cleave when he's also got Iron Tide as an at-will.

I'll try to be more clear this time. I'm saying that Lisa Stevens could have written her announcement letter in language that was far more conciliatory than what she actually chose to use. She implies quite strongly (and I'm being generous in using the word "imply") that the reason for not going with 4E is because it sucks. This is a statement that, unless she's got a friend at WotC whose given her access to a copy of the PHB, she's in no position to be making.

If you can parse out how I'm criticizing someone's playstyle from the above paragraph, I'll bake you a cookie. Maybe even a whole dozen.

 

[Alnag]

I've checked the alpha version. It looks interesting, some inspiration for SW saga, maybe...

Anyway, I will still buy 4e. Unless it is really bad product (which I doubt) I will play 4e and in the time Pathfinder RPG will be finished I will be deep in 4e teritorry. I might buy Pathfinder RPG anyway (if it is nice enough, because I have kind of soft spot for such things) but I somehow feel I will never play it. Sorry Paizo. I like you though and I wish you luck.

 

[Azzy]

Yay, Paizo!!

Wow. The nerdrage (on both sides) is simply astounding. Seriously, guys, some lithium is in order.

Those predicting doom and gloom should realize that Paizo doesn't have to beat WoTC. They just have to do enough to have their own niche. As there are numerous games out there that have nothing to do with D20 like GURPS, Rolemaster, and Warhammer, as well as those OGL versions like True 20 and Conan, the market can support more than one game system.

Quoted for effing Truth!!!! All Paizo needs to do is find its own niche and be profitable. It doesn't need to compete with WotC or anyone else--there's room enough for to be self-sustaining by doing their own thing.

Me, I was going to cancel my subscription when Paizo's products went 4th edition (4th edition's not my bag, baby). My wallet laments the fact that I'm not going to cancel it anytime soon. Oh well, nothing to do about it than to continue supporting Paizo and enjoying their quality products.

 

[Bagpuss]

I believe you might have misread.

The PDF version of Pathfinder Beta will be downloadable for free. Only the book version will cost you something.

The Beta version is also available as a softback at $25, they wouldn't sell it if they didn't think some people would be gullible/impatient enough to buy it.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

Interesting.

So now Paizo is destined to become the haven (or heaven?) for all the 4e/WotC haters? I wonder how they manage their conversion to 4e two years from now. Will they abandon their loyal customers? Or will they succeed in convincing them that 4e is the best thing since sliced bread from that point on?

I don't like the fact that Pathfinder will be another new take on 3.5. We already have different approaches (True20, Arcana Evolved, C&C, etc.) and now Paizo wants to introduce yet another flavour? For me, this shows a weakness of the whole OGL thing. Instead of jointly working on the evolution of a cohesive system, all publishers do their own thing, fragmenting their part of the market even further. I wonder what Ryan Dancey's view of this development is...

On thing looks quite interesting in the announcement: that 3.5/Pathfinder allows them to tell the stories they want to tell. Does this mean that their campaign world is not suitable for 4e stories? Will Paizo have to develop another world to place their 4e APs and other products in?

Well, I sincerely wish Mrs. Stevens and her crew the best of luck with their new endeavour! I hope that Paizo will remain a successfull business so that I can one day buy a 4e Adventure Path from you!

---
Huldvoll

Jan van Leyden

 

[The_Fan]

On the one hand, I can understand Paizo's frustration with the license being late and their two biggest projects being taken away from them. Without Dungeon and Dragon, and without the license, they have little other recourse in remaining alive as a company.

On the other hand, there's a streak of bitterness and nerd rage a mile wide in this. It's covered under language of "wanting to tell our sort of stories," but railing against secrecy in a closed beta test is a deliberate and unnecessary "Take THAT!" that strikes me as sour grapes.

Furthermore, I don't like their business model. At all. "Okay, we'll give you a slightly improved version of what you already have for free so you can playtest it. Then, a few months later, once we iron some of the kinks out, we'll charge you for it so you can help us fix it better! Then, once we're satisfied with it, we'll charge you TWICE AS MUCH for the final version. And we may switch to another game at that point."

The only people I see going for that are the REALLY recalcitrant 4e haters.

 

[Erik Mona]

I'll try to be more clear this time. I'm saying that Lisa Stevens could have written her announcement letter in language that was far more conciliatory than what she actually chose to use. She implies quite strongly (and I'm being generous in using the word "imply") that the reason for not going with 4E is because it sucks.

That is absolutely not what she said.

--Erik Mona
Publisher
Paizo Publishing, LLC